Umbrella-rib construction.



P. FRANTZ UMBRELLA RIB CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 19, 1915.

Patented Mar. 28, 1916.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGEAPH 0., WASHINGTON, D. C

PETER FRANTZ, OF STERLING, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO LAWRENCE G. TI-IORNE, OF

' STERLING, ILLINOIS.

UMBRELLA-RIB CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed January 19, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER FRANTZ, a citizen of the United States of America, and

- resident of Sterling, VVhiteside county, Illi nois, (residence address 309 Ninth avenue,) have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Umbrella-Rib Constructions, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to folding or collapsible umbrellas of that kind in which the ribs are each composed of two sections which in effect telescope one within the other to thereby reduce the length of the ribs when the umbrella is folded. In this way, and by folding or telescoping the stick of the umbrella, as well as the ribs thereof, the umbrella can be so reduced in size that it may be placed in a suit case orsatch'el, or

' even in the coat pocket of the user. As

isv a side elevation of'an umbrella frame hav stated, however, my invention relates to the mechanism or means for telescoping the ribs when the umbrella is folded. f

More, especially, as will hereinafter more fully appear, my invention relates to the means for automatically locking and unlocking the telescoping sections of the ribs when'the umbrella is raised and lowered.

The objects of my invention are to provide an improved construction and arrangement having means for locking the ribs in extended condition, even when not quite fully extended, thereby to prevent objectionable results in the manipulation of the umbrella, and involving deviceswhich engage the braces of the umbrella, when the latter is lowered, for the purpose of automatically unlocking the telescoping sections of the ribs, thereby renderingit possible to unlock the ribs from their variable extended positions by simply lowering the umbrella.

It is also an object to provide certain details and features of construction and combinations tending to increase the general efficiency and reliability of an umbrella rib locking mechanism or arrangement of this particular character.

To these and other useful ends my invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed.

'Inthe accompanying drawings Figure 1 ing telescoping'ribs involving the principles of my invention, certain portions being broken away or omitted for convenience of- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 28, 1916.

Serial No. 3,027.

illustration. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the rib joints of said umbrella. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, on a larger scale, showing certain portions in vertical longitudinal section. Fig. l is a view of the underside of the parts shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the mechanism in unlocking positicn. Fig. 6 is an enlarged section on line 66 in Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is an enlarged section on line 7-7 in Fig. 3.

As thus illustrated, my invention comprises an umbrella stick A having a telescoping construction of any suitable character; a top notch a and a lower notch or runner a which encircle said stick; telescoping ribs B connected at their upper ends in any suitable manner with the said top notch; and braces C connected between the lower notch 42 and said ribs.

Eachrib is composed of an upper solid orcylindric section b and a lower section b which is channel shaped in cross section;

ratchet teeth d, and the said body D is provided, below the rib, with a pivoted dog (Z forengaging said teeth. The said dog has a rear end portion d which is engaged by a spring d which is secured at its other end to the body D andwhich serves to yieldingly hold the ratchet dog d in operative and yielding engagement with said teetln It will be seen that this dog (Z is pivoted at (P between the ears (Z on the underside of the body D; and with this arrangement, and when the outer rib section b is pulled outward, the dog (Z travels over the teeth cl until the stop d on the end of the section 12 engages the shoulder d on the sheet metal joint body. It will be seen, however, that the teeth cl are sufficiently numerous to enable the dog (Z to cooperate therewith and thus lock the ribs in extended condition even when the said stop and shoulderare not quite togetherthat is to say, even though the outer section. of the rib is not pulled outward to the full extent ofthe movement which is necessary to entirely" extend the rib'. Thus the ribs are always all looked in extendedposition, and the fact-that one" or more thereof may have failed to reach their extreme'or fullyextended position will not result in any difficulty or objectionable action afterward during the further manipulation of the umbrella. When the rib is telescoped, the section 6 slides in the channel of the section 6 and thus the rib is adapted to be shortened by about one-half of its length.

The braces C are each connected at their outer ends to the pivots (Z of the ribs. For this purpose, the end portion of each brace is bifurcated to embrace the cars (i as shownin F ig; 7, whereby these pivots d* serve a double purpose, as they are common to the locking dogs d and said braces. Also, this serves to insure better conperation bctweenthe ratchet-dog and the brace, and tends to keep" them in operative rela tion to eachother. 'Each sleeve D has a slot d between thesaid ears (Z and each of these slots contains one ofthe dogs (Z Each brace, it will be seen, is channel shaped in cross section, the-groove or chan nel thereof being located on the upper side of the brace, whereby said braces are adapted to fold close to and parallel with the ribs in the manner shown in Fig. 5, thereby automatically disengaging the dogs (1 from the ratchet teeth. This, it willbe seen, is because the braces engage the portions d of said dogs, when the umbrella is lowered, each brace thereby acting as a lever to automatically disengage its allotted dog from the ratchet teeth. In this way the ribs-are all unlocked from their extended positions, and these positions can be of a variable nature, within the limits of the rows of teeth, without affecting the desired mode of operation; 7

The ribs D, it will be understood, are flexible, and in Fig. 1 they are shown with the curvature which they will necessarily have when provided with the usual cover; In Figs. 2 and 3 the ribs are assumed to be flexed, but in Fig. 5 the rib is shown straight and in the condition which it assumes when the umbrella is lowered;

With the foregoing construction, it will be seen that no special manipulation of the ribs is necessary in order to unlock them from their extended positions when the umbrella is lowered, and when it is desired to telescope the ribs for the purpose of reducing the umbrella to such a short length that it can be placed in a suit case or satchel,

, or even in the pocket of an overcoat. The

lowering of the umbrella, by sliding the runner a downward, serves automatically to unlock the ribs in the manner described. This is so regardless of Whether the ribs are all fully extended, for even those which may not have been quite fully extended are unlocked. Then an Crate asses well as the 'sti'ck'of the umbrella, can be telescoped to reduce the umbrellatdwthe desired length? To accomplish the desired result, it will be seen that the series of ratchet-teeth (Z must be of substantial length, and must extend far enough along the rib section b to insure considerable latitude of variation in the locking of the two sections in extended position. In other words, two or three small teeth or notches disposed, quite close to gether would not overcomethe difliculty, and would be practically the equivalent of, one large notch, so far as preventing breakage 1s concerned. In accordance with the invention, however, a series of ratchet teeth with comparatively widenotches between them extends a considerable distancealong the upper side of the rib-sectiomsotha-t-if a ratchet-dog does not move far enough-or 8 slips out from behind. atooth and starts to move back under the tension orpull of the cloth of the umbrella-top, it will be practiscally sure to be caught and held by a tooth farther. along inthe row or series" of'teeth. Furthermore, it will be seen that the pivot? ing of the ratchet-dogcl in'the' end ofthe braceC, in the manner shown and described, not only simplifies the construction and reduces the cost of manufacture therof', but

thispoint stronger and more reliable in opiera-tion, as the said ratchet-dog 15 maintamed by the plvot inoperative relationto the brace at all times, even-though the con-" 100 to form a guide for the upper section,- a stop: 1 10 on the end of the upperflsection' to engage? the end of said sleeve and-thereby limitthe extension of the rib, a transverse pivot; on the under side of said sleeve,- a ratchet-dog on said pivot, means orrsaidupper section-1151 5 to engage said dog, a brace connected'by said pivot with sa-idsleeve,vanda's-p'ring on said sleeve to engage andycontrolsaid dog, said brace engaging said rear end of the dog when the umbrella is closed, thereby 120 to disengage said dog fromfsaid meanspre liminary to telescoping the rib, and theother end of said dog extending toward said pivotal support to'drag on; the upper section-'- when the rib is extended.

2. An umbr'ella-rib-construction comprising 7 upper and lower telescoping-sections forming the rib,- a pivotal support-for the" upper section, a sleeve on the" lower section to form aguide for the upper 'seetion,a 1'50 serves also to render the constructionat" r stop on the end of the upper section to engage the end of said sleeve and thereby limit the extension of the rib, a transverse pivot on the under side of said sleeve, a ratchet-dog on said pivot, means on said upper section to engage said dog, a brace connected by said pivot with said sleeve, and a spring on said sleeve to engage and control said dog, said brace engaging said rear end of the dog when the umbrella is closed, thereby to disengage said dog from said means preliminary to telescoping the rib, and the other end of said dog extending toward said pivotal support to drag on the upper section when the rib is extended, said means consisting of a series of ratchet-teeth from any one of which said brace is operative to disengage said ratchet-dog.

3. An umbrella-rib-construction comprising upper and lower telescoping sections forming the rib, a pivotal support for the upper section, a sleeve on the lower section to form a guide for the upper section, a stop on the end of the upper section to engage the end of said sleeve and thereby limit the extension of the rib, a transverse pivot on the under side of said sleeve, a ratchetdog on said pivot, means on said upper section to engage said dog, a brace connected by said pivot with said sleeve, and a spring on said sleeve to engage and control said dog, said brace engaging said rear end of the dog when the umbrella is closed, thereby to disengage said dog from said means preliminary to telescoping the rib, and the other end of said dog extending toward said pivotal support to drag on the upper section when the rib is extended, said sleeve having a longitudinal slot for said ratchet-dog, with ears at each side of said slot for said pivot, and said brace being bifurcated to embrace said ears.

Signed by me at Sterling, Illinois, this 9th day of January, 1915.

, PETER FRANTZ. Witnesses: EZRA MATHEW,

HARRY F. \VERLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of .Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

